NOT HELPFUL, DELMON

Okay, look, Delmon. Let’s talk about this for a minute. New York City is an exciting place. I know you were probably excited that the team got in early enough to enjoy a little time in the city. But New York is a great place. There are many, MANY things to do that do not involve drinking and staying out until after 2am. And, hell, if you were going to drink? Have a beer. Maybe two. Meet some locals. Go to bed at a descent hour. But you are on a team that is slumping. Drinking to a degree that impares your judgement the day before a game against the NEW YORK YANKEES is a STUPID IDEA. One of your OWN TEAM MATES can provide you with endless reasons as to why this is true.
Also? Your team just lost 6 of 7 games at home, 3 of those against the Mariners. Fans are angry. Your manager is frustrated. The longest employed player in the organization, whom some of your team mates have known for 10 years, was just fired. For one second, did you think that MAYBE putting yourself in a situation that COULD lead to trouble was the absolute LAST THING any of your team mates or bosses needed right now? They’ve been through this before. Recently. I have a feeling their patience for these kinds of shennanigans are wearing very, very thin.

And, if we’re being really honest? You’re no Miguel Cabrera, and you’ve been in trouble before. You’re a free agent at the end of this year, and you’ve seemed very concerned about that fact whenever anyone thinks that maybe your lack of range in left may mean you should be a full-time DH. Do you really think this kind of behavior is going to help you get a job next year? Really?

One of the reasons I love professional baseball is because this kind of crap doesn’t seem to happen with nearly the frequency it does in, say, the NBA or the NFL. I want the athletes I root for to be good role models for my kids someday. Good people make mistakes. Good people make poor choices. But the information coming forward that this may have a anti-semetic aspect to it makes it harder for me to write this whole situation off as “one of those things”. Drinking lowers our inhibitions. It doesn’t change who we are as people.

“We just have a wonderful group of guys. In fact, to be honest with you, if we’re going to win this thing, we’ve got to find that little mean streak that’s in all of us. We need that, and we’re going to have to have that. We are going to need that little mean streak, I can assure you, that little swagger, because we’re the hunted. But I’ll take my chances with this group. We’ve got a lot of characters, a lot of wonderful guys with great, great personalities.”

“I’ve never really seen many good players or good teams that didn’t have a little mean streak, a little selfishness in them, to be honest with you. I mean that in a good way. … In our case, I think it’s particularly important because a lot of people have talked about our club, blah blah blah. There’s time to be a real nice guy and a gentleman, but it’s not when the game starts. You have to have a little bit of [a-hole] in you, if you want to know the truth.”

This isn’t what he meant. Not at all. I’m sure he’s embarassed by what happened this morning, and I hope you appologize to him and the fans for representing the club in this way.